Laminated timber products, e.g., which may refer to a two-by-four inch, two-by-six inch or other cross-sectional wood cuttings, may be attached to each other to form an engineered beam for certain types of construction applications, such as replacements for metal beams in buildings. While providing improved strength as compared to a single, larger piece of lumber, the lumber used to manufacture the engineered beams nevertheless have an associated weight which affects its efficiency and viability as a replacement for metal beams, particularly in larger construction projects such as a building which may be several, or even ten or more stories in height.
As a result of the relative thickness of the lumber, it may take a relatively large amount of time and care to create even and thorough drying of the lumber within manufacturing tolerances. Additionally, the wood in the lumber may tend to revert or regain the original shape of the wood as found in nature, potentially creating characteristics such as cupping, skewing and/or twisting of the resultant products. Defects in the wood such as knots can substantially weaken lumber assemblies, however removal of knots may require additional cutting and joints in the finished product.
Wood products manufactured out of laminated timber is typically restricted to an odd number of layers, e.g, three-ply, five-ply, or seven-ply, as a result of the relatively large minimum thickness of each layer (general one and one-half inches thick). The limitations on the ability to vary the thickness of the wood products therefore require overall building designs to similarly be limited in design and configuration. Additionally, timber products may be rated to handle maximum applied pressures of approximately one hundred pounds per square inch, which may be exceeded in certain types of applications.
This application addresses these and other problems.